Reply #8: A lot depends on how you define an evil company [View All]

[skygazer]

The thing with Starbucks (and Target and Borders as well as places like Wal-Mart) is that they do squash small business, they do wipe out downtowns, they do encourage people to shop by name rather than quality. That's sad.

A lot of them are "good" in the sense that they treat their employees well or they contribute to local charity or whatever.

However - when I was a kid, downtown was a vibrant, busy place. There were independant clothing stores, toy stores, bookstores, restaurants, hardware stores, grocery stores, delis, coffee shops, etc.

All those things are now replaced by Target, ToysRUs, Borders, Chilis, Home Depots, Costcos, Subways, Starbucks....

People don't even think about going in a place whose name they don't recognize. That's sad to me. And I think it's a loss.